FIRE BASED EMS:

Pre-hospital emergency transport is one of the essential functions of public safety. The providers of this service include municipal city departments, county fire districts, and private companies. Walla Walla County Fire District 5 operates Fire-Based EMS. It is critical that tax payers understand the importance of having emergency medical services provided through Fire District 5. This model of service has the ability to deliver a multi-faceted response through training in areas such as fire suppression, emergency medical transport, vehicle and machinery extrication, technical rescue, water and ice rescue, fire prevention and public education programs. Firefighter's and emergency medical personnel will simultaneously secure a scene, mitigate the hazard, extricate and triage patients, decontaminate if necessary, treat and transport patients to an appropriate medical facility.

AMBULANCE TRANSPORT SERVICE:

Walla Walla County Fire District 5 is the primary provider of ambulance service to the communities of Burbank, Burbank Heights, Wallula, and Charbonneau. Basic Life Support (EMT) level care has been the level of service provided since the fire district was founded in 1953. This service has held widespread support from the community and county officials since its inception and remains an integral component of our operations.  

PARAMEDIC SERVICE RECOGNITION:

On July 1, 2013, the fire district began providing Advanced Life Support (Paramedic) level care. Prior to the implementation of this service, the fire district relied entirely on the City of Pasco Fire Department and The City of Walla Walla Fire Department to provide Paramedic level care and transport in the form of medical mutual aid. Pasco Fire Department is still requested for assistance when required for multiple patients, overlapping calls, or periods of low staffing. As we increase our coverage and staffing by District employed Paramedics, the citizens of the fire district receive an increased level of care as well as decreased response times in an emergency. Additional notable benchmarks and achievements are as follows: 

• ALS Trauma Verification. In 2017, the fire district was awarded the highest level of ambulance service licensure: ALS- Advanced Life Support. This is an in-depth process where the Department of Health audits the program in person; reviewing the individual building blocks and components put in place to establish and maintain operations. Everything from policies, procedures, training, equipment, and established protocols are reviewed and documented for compliance with state and federal laws.  
• Expanding ambulance service boundaries. Recently, the district redrafted boundary lines of the fire district (for ambulance service only), to increase our coverage area. This improves both the Basic and Advanced levels of care and response to other areas outside of our 93 square miles, improving the EMS system as a whole in Walla Walla County. 

AMBULANCE BILLING:

Fire District 5 Resident Fees:

Basic Life Support (EMT)- NO CHARGE

Advanced Life Support (Paramedic)- $700

Non-Fire District 5 Resident Fees:

Basic Life Support (EMT)- $600

Advanced Life Support (Paramedic)- $950

-Transport Mileage Fee:

$10 per patient mile.

Emergency Services Fee:

Non-Fire District 5 residents will be charged a fee of $200 when emergency services are rendered by Fire District personnel but the patient is transported by an outside agency.

QUESTIONS:

Please feel free to contact Station 51 with any questions regarding ambulance billing, payment options, or insurance claims.

Contact: Kirsten Cole- Ambulance Billing- 509-547-8341.